New powered rerailer from Bachmann

[Lemosteam]

Bachmann announced on Facebook this "new" (for them) product.  Not available at MBK yet but the out of stock Proses version there is $29.  Not suyre what the bachmann stree price will be but $49 bucks seems way high.

https://shop.bachmanntrains.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=265_420&products_id=6777&zenid=700gkm719mtkauvfiidormtuj5

Designed my own for SW (been wanting to for years), but the printing cost alone (my cost) was more than the MBK price.

[peteski]

Someone from another  NTRAK club at this year's Springfield show had something very similar. I don't recall if it was commercially-made or home-brewed.  It was made from aluminum (and insulating material too of course).

[Lemosteam]

@peteski , Did it look like this?



https://www.modeltrainstuff.com/proses-n-rlr-02-39026-powered-railer/

[Mark5]

Is re-railing really this hard? 

[Lemosteam]

Is re-railing really this hard? 

@Mark5 , Not so much for rolling stock, but yes my fingertips are about 3/4" in diameter and I do have difficulty with steam engine pilot trucks, etc.  Also some passenger cars have trucks that swivel too much while trying to put them on the track.

Also, I recall that is it a bad idea to attempt to push locomotives that have traction tires onto tracks from un-powered re-railers, that you can damage the traction tire, or knock it off of the driver, or even make a driver come out of quarter.

[C855B]

... Also, I recall that is it a bad idea to attempt to push locomotives that have traction tires onto tracks from un-powered re-railers, that you can damage the traction tire, or knock it off of the driver, or even make a driver come out of quarter.

Yes. I have an Athearn Big Boy that somebody "helped" me re-rail at a train show before I could stop them, and stretched two traction tires to the point where it was no longer runnable. That was three years ago and it is still sitting on my workbench. Second time this happened to my equipment, so I no longer take steam to train shows.

Does this new whiz-bang device work on Code 55? The conventional re-railer ramps of my experience, like the Rix, only fit Code 80.

[Mark5]

@Mark5 , Not so much for rolling stock, but yes my fingertips are about 3/4" in diameter and I do have difficulty with steam engine pilot trucks, etc.  Also some passenger cars have trucks that swivel too much while trying to put them on the track.

Also, I recall that is it a bad idea to attempt to push locomotives that have traction tires onto tracks from un-powered re-railers, that you can damage the traction tire, or knock it off of the driver, or even make a driver come out of quarter.

Ah thanks!  And now I know the diameter of my finger tips as well. 

[Chris333]

This will change our hobby forever...

[Maletrain]

While I think the powered railer is a good idea, I think it is hugely overpriced.  How much harder is to make this than the typical plastic railer.  Both are basically a single injection-molded plastic casting, and the powered version has two flat pieces of metal in it.  So, why the huge price difference?

[peteski]

@peteski , Did it look like this?

It looked similar, but IIRC, it was a bit different. I think the aluminum angles were exposed on the sides (on the outside).  I don't remember the owner mentioning Bachmann.  I do remember him mentioning that when used with steam locos it often caused shorts. I think he said that the siderods were shoring out against the rerailer.  I thought that sounded odd, but I got busy doing some other things and I never got more details about the rerailer or the problem. My memory is a bit fuzzy on it.

[Maletrain]

Regarding the steam loco rods shorting on the sides of the railer - - there is no excuse for the powered areas of the railer being other than flat, with insulating plastic walls that funnel the wheels down onto the rail heads.  For the prices these things are being advertised, the design should at least be proper.

I'm now thinking about just getting a Kato plastic version and using it to make one of these.

[peteski]

Regarding the steam loco rods shorting on the sides of the railer - - there is no excuse for the powered areas of the railer being other than flat, with insulating plastic walls that funnel the wheels down onto the rail heads.  For the prices these things are being advertised, the design should at least be proper.

I'm now thinking about just getting a Kato plastic version and using it to make one of these.

I think all you have to do it take any of the available plastic re-railers and glue a piece of thin copper-clad PC board material in top (with the copper split in the center).  You will have to file notches in the end of the PC board so it nests over the rails.  Then find a way to power it from the rails and you're done.

[Lemosteam]

This will change our hobby forever...

[sarcasm][/sarcasm] lol.

[Lemosteam]

I think all you have to do it take any of the available plastic re-railers and glue a piece of thin copper-clad PC board material in top (with the copper split in the center).  You will have to file notches in the end of the PC board so it nests over the rails.  Then find a way to power it from the rails and you're done.

This is essentially what my concept does, save that I designed for PB wire to contact the track and fold over to contact the underside of a brass strip.

Also, I think mine is 10" long and will intentionally handle an entire big boy on the ramp (I think, I don't have one).

@Maletrain , my printed version came out to $56 in FUD, and $28 in sintered nylon and that is before wire and brass strip, So if the Bachmann street price comes close to the one at MBK, it's reasonable. But you are right a styrene injected over aluminum strip would be inexpensive to make for them.

[nscaler711]

Oooh oooh that -8 though! That means they are due soon right?!?
(I have an older run one, while ugly they run decently...)